You may have been wondering...What do those little letters after my name stand for anyway?  They are designations that distinguish me from other real estate practitioners.  First of all not every real estate agent is a Realtor®.  In order to become a Realtor® an agent must study and pass the National Realtor Association Code of Ethics in dealing with the public and handling transactions.  Then that real estate agent must continue to educate himself each year to stay current with the rules of being a Realtor® and the Code of Ethics.  Once a Realtor® has passed the Code of Ethics, he is eligible to be a local, state and national member of the Association of Realtors®. 

I also happen to be a Licensed builder in South Carolina and have been building for over 25 years now.  Not too many agents can give you that kind of experience in dealing with real estate.  I like to joke that the difference between what I know about real estate and my competition is similar to the difference between a certified master mechanic and a used car salesman.  However, I will say that there are some other good agents out there.

For the agents who wish to further educate themselves, there are courses that are offered in which an agent can stand out above the rest.  For instance, take ABR®, which stands for accredited buyer's representative.  This is a designation that proves an agent's ability to take good care of a buyer in a real estate transaction.  It is only through a proven track record that an agent can become eligible to get this distinction, and of the over one million real estate agents nation wide only approximately 50,000 agents have this designation. 

Another one is the SFR designation.  SFR stands for short sales and foreclosure resource specialist.  This designation is important in today's real estate market and indicates that an agent has been specifically trained to help buyers and sellers in those types of distressed transactions...and let's face it, around 40 percent of the transactions in the greater Charlotte area right now are these types of transactions.  So, a Realtor® had better know how to negotiate those types of deals.  Otherwise, he is just missing out on plenty of opportunities for his clients and customers. 

There are plenty of other designations that are available and several which I plan on getting.  One of importance to me is the SRES designation.  This is for agents who wish to be able to properly handle transactions with those customers in their retirement or senior years.  It has been my pleasure to have helped retired folks buy and sell homes in the past and I look forward to having this designation.

Another designation that I desire is E-Pro.  This shows that an agent has a mastery of technology to assist buyers and sellers of real estate.  I use a ton of technology in my business, but I don't have the designation, and I want those little letters!  Technology is here to stay, and most of my clients are coming to me via the internet.  I love the face to face interaction with people and that is my goal to get a meeting in person, but I am initially meeting most of my clients on the net.  Chances are likely, that is where you are finding me too!

Feel free to email or call me at any time with your comments or questions.  It is my pleasure to serve the real estate needs for buyers and sellers in York County, South Carolina and the Greater Charlotte, North Carolina region.

Thanks for reading my post.

Ross Harkness, ABR®, SFR
Realtor®/Builder

Palmetto Property Pros
Wilkinson and Associates Real Estate
Ross Harkness Construction, Inc.
Carolina Homes Property Management, Inc.
803-372-8867
Ross@PalmettoPropertyPros.com

As an agent who specializes in helping home buyers throughout York County, I am occasionally asked about the advantages and/or disadvantages of buying a brand-new home versus a resale home. Making that home purchase decision will depend on a great deal of factors and will vary based upon the individual buying the home, their family’s needs, long term goals, and budget.

There can be a big difference in maintenance costs, move in and upgrade needs/costs, lending costs and a difference in the quality of amenities within neighborhoods for a new construction home purchase versus a resale home. All of these things should have an impact on your decision making. However, the biggest factor of any real estate purchase, perhaps, should be the location. As the old saying goes, "the three most important aspects of real estate are "location, location, location."…And in my mind there are many great places to live in Rock Hill, Fort Mill, Clover, York, Tega Cay and Lake Wylie depending on your needs. Remember, if you buy a home in the right spot, your investment is bound to grow! So, don’t forget to ask your Realtor®, hopefully one of our real estate agents at the Palmetto Property Pros, where the hot spots are in your home purchase price range.

With good communication between you and your agent, you should be able to find that great location. Remember to make sure that you do your research as not all subdivisions and neighborhoods are growing at the same rate of appreciation. In fact, in down markets, homes in many areas are losing valuable equity. This is the trend that is reflective of a home market with many foreclosures, bank owned properties (REO’s) and short sale homes. Sound familiar to you?

In any case, some research should be done before you buy a new home in one of our York County communities. Further, I always recommend that you have buyer representation in a purchase of a home, whether it is a new home construction of a resale home. In new construction, many people just go to the builder or builder’s agent directly, and this is a mistake. By doing so, you are sacrificing an enormous amount of your negotiating position and could be accidentally giving away information that the builder-home seller will use to their advantage. This could ultimately affect the amount that you pay for the home and the extras that you receive with the new home purchase.

You see, a builder and/or his representative/agent should be looked at just like any other home seller in the market or even more cautiously. They are representing their own interests in a real estate transaction that they have with you. They are NOT representing YOUR best interest. Just like a resale home seller, they want to sell their home and maximize their profit. You, on the other hand, want to buy a home that fits your needs as inexpensively as possible. Do you see the conflict?

Another thing, while it's tempting to assume that any new home is well constructed, that's not always the case. New homes are untested. Just like a used home can have repair needs and latent defects, a new construction home can have incomplete systems, mechanical failure or faulty workmanship. For that reason, I always recommend that a buyer of any home, whether that home is a new construction home or a resale home, get a home inspection from a licensed home inspection. Finding out that a home has problems, after purchase, is never a good thing, and getting the builder to service the repair issues could be a challenge too. Am I recommending against new construction homes? No, just be aware of the potential problems and have the proper advocate on your side when making these or any home purchase in Fort Mill, Rock Hill or Lake Wylie. Just for the record, there are often great deals on new construction homes in our area too.

As a licensed builder, myself, for more than 20 years, I, Ross Harkness, am the perfect guy to walk you through and represent you in either a new construction or a resale home. You see, I am more apt to notice a small defect, or more importantly, a large one in a home than any other agent. I also, have specialized training to assist a buyer in any market situation as I have completed my ABR (accredited buyer's representative) training, have a SFR (short sales and foreclosure resource) certificate and regularly upgrade my education to aid you in a real estate transaction. Finding a great home at a good value for you and completing a satisfactory real estate deal on your behalf is my aim. At the end of every closed transaction, my goal is to get a letter of recommendation from my client, and so far, I've got a pretty good record of accomplishing that!

So, if you have ever considered purchasing a new or resale home, please contact me to assist you. Helping you reflect on ALL of the important criteria of home buying that could influence your final decision; I'm on your side. As a great real estate negotiator with a record of satisfied buyer clients and the testimonials to prove it, I look forward to hearing from you when the time is right for you and your family to make that home purchase. Now is a great time to buy a home in Lake Wylie, Rock Hill, Fort Mill, Tega Cay, Clover or York.

Even if you are not planning on a move right away, call me. Let’s chat or have lunch. I’ll buy! That way when you are ready, we will already know each other.

As real estate agents who primarily serve the areas around Lake Wylie, Palmetto Property Pros serve homebuyers and home sellers in Rock Hill, Fort Mill, Clover, York, Tega Cay and Lake Wylie. This is easily accomplished by our having a real estate office right in the northern part of Rock Hill, SC, which gives us easy access to all of those great York County, South Carolina communities.

Thanks and God bless,

Ross Harkness, SFR
SC Realtor®/SC Licensed Builder
NC Broker
Palmetto Property Pros
Wilkinson and Associates Real Estate

Imagine that you find a house in Rock Hill, Fort Mill, or Lake Wylie that you are interested in seeing and perhaps buying. There is a Realtor's name on the sign in front of the house and you think, “Should I call this Realtor?” Well, let me tell you that the simple answer to that is No.

The Realtor on the sign is the last real estate person that you should call. Sound strange? It won't after you read on.

The seller of that home in Rock Hill or Fort Mill is represented by the real estate agent on the sign. You are not. The Realtor on the sign has an obligation to represent the seller's best interests completely in the transaction. Their goal is to get the highest and best offer on selling the house. In doing that, how could he or she possibly represent YOUR best interests? Your goal and the goal of your agent should be to keep as much of your money in your pocket as possible while still getting the home purchased. In order to accomplish that, you should use a buyer's agent when purchasing real estate anywhere, not just property in York County.

Well what about new construction home buying?

On a new home purchase in Lake Wylie, Rock Hill, Fort Mill or any other York County area, should you go directly to the builder or the onsite agent? Once again, the answer is No.

While you may argue that the seller’s representatives are really nice when you walk in the door to chat with those builder's agents, you still need to know that your best interests are not theirs. A builder’s agent is interested in selling that home to you for the highest amount that you are willing to pay and that is it. They will not show you the comparable home sales for the area and tell you about home values in the neighborhood. The listing agent’s job is not to get you a good deal at all. A listing agent or builder agent will sell that house for as much as you are willing to pay and will try to maximize their profit in the sale. Often times that real estate agent will try to sell a homebuyer with upgrades that you may be able to get for free, or request that you use their direct builder lenders. These things result in more charges to the homebuyer. So, who pays for it? You do as the purchaser of the home.

Please call a buyer's agent in Rock Hill, Fort Mill, Lake Wylie or wherever in York County that you are interested in making a home purchase. A good buyer's agent will ensure that you get a great deal on a resale or new construction purchase and keep as much of your money in your pocket as possible. Their goal, unlike the listing agent is to help you buy the home for the least amount of money.

So, who pays that Rock Hill or Fort Mill buyer's agent? The seller does, at the close of the transaction.

When you see that great house for you and your family in York County, instead of calling the name of the agent on the sign or dealing with the builder directly, please think of calling me, Ross Harkness, buyer’s agent. I can usually get to the property as fast as any other Realtor can to show it, and I will be obedient and loyal to YOU in the transaction. You can expect me to deal with skill and care in the process while disclosing every detail about the property that might affect your decision. The other Realtor, the seller’s agent on the sign, won't do that for you.

Palmetto Property Pros, buyer agents in York County, want to help you with your next home purchase or real estate transaction. We are also qualified seller’s agents and listing agents.

Thanks and may your real estate transactions be successful,

Ross Harkness, SFR
Realtor®/Builder
Palmetto Property Pros
Wilkinson and Associates Real Estate

Where does the commission go after a home sells?

When I go out and meet with home sellers in Rock Hill, Fort Mill, Lake Wylie or wherever it may be in York County, the discussion of commission rates eventually comes up.  The seller of the home of course wants to know how much they will have to pay out in order for me to sell their home.  My pat answer to this question is that my office and I typically charge 6 percent for selling a home.

Sometimes after saying that, the customer will say, that is what I expected to pay in commission for a Realtor® to sell my house.  When that happens it saves me a whole bunch of communication as we are already in agreement.  Other times, however, I will hear this line, “well Bob at XYZ Realty told me that he would do it for this much (a lower percentage).  Well, all I can say is that you will get rates all across the board on commissions and service all across the board as well.  Discount agencies are starting to pop up in the York County area and across the country.  However, I would be very cautious of working with a discount listing agent and here is the reason why: 

1.       If you are paying for someone to place your home on the MLS at a discounted rate, you will be getting discounted services.  I know this because I see it every time that I have to deal with one of these agencies.  The seller of the home is left with all kinds of responsibilities and obligations that a Realtor® would normally handle.  Some discount brokers even expect sellers to do all of their own negotiations and paperwork.   

2.      Chances are you will have limited market exposure.  Discounted brokerages usually are not as diligent on the listing pictures of homes, updating home flyers, listing on both of the area’s multiple listing services (Yes, York County has two MLS providers.  Make sure that your agent can list on both.  Otherwise you are missing a huge chunk of potential buyers.), print advertising, online marketing presence etc…

3.      Communication with your real estate agent is bound to be minimal.  You are not paying them to be at your service promptly.  As a result, it is doubtful that they will be.

4.      Buyer agents don’t like to show discount brokerage types of homes.  The reason for this is that the Buyer’s agent knows that they will have to work harder with this property should their buyer want it.  The last one of these home sale transactions that I was involved with, on a property in Rock Hill, left me negotiating with the seller without the agent.  The agent just abandoned the seller and left them to work it out on their own!  The seller had no idea what they were doing or when it needed to be completed.  Communication was a hassle, and I got stuck with all kinds of extra responsibilities.  Needless to say, I wasn’t happy with the situation, and I felt badly for the seller.  My experience with the discounted rate listing was typical, according to other agents that I have spoken with.

During the listing presentation and when you are asking the commission rate question, it is easy to look at a commission and think, “Wow, that sure is good pay for what they have to do!”  Well, think of it this way, for every completed deal that looks like a big payday, think of all of the other efforts and expenses that a Realtor® has to incur to even be able to provide you service and complete that transaction.  Many times the efforts to secure a buyer or seller client fail despite our best efforts.  Other times deals fall through after much effort on the part of the agent at no fault of theirs.  A Realtor® only gets paid based on results and on nothing else.  So, if your real estate agent sells your home on Lake Wylie, Fort Mill, Rock Hill or wherever, he has done his job and deserves to get paid what he makes.  In the type of market that we are experiencing right now, bringing a buyer to the table and getting a deal completed is a good feat.  If your Realtor® gets your house sold, thank them for a job well done! 

So what does an agent’s commission cover?

Typically, agents equally split the commission between the listing agent and the selling agent.  However, commission splits can vary depending upon the agreement of the seller and listing agent.  An agent's commission pays for all kinds of things from advertising (print, signs, flyers, stationary, business cards, postage, online social media sites), to covering their various association fees, company fees, telephone and computer expenses, personal website fees, lead management software and maintenance, desk and/or office space fees, auto and gasoline expenses, occasional meals/gifts, professional clothing, etc...The expenses are significant.  Let’s not forget that an agent shares a portion of his commission with his firm too!  Some agents pay 50% or more of it. 

Hopefully, after completion of a transaction, there is a bit left over from all of those expenses that an agent can call profit.  It is with those funds that the agent pays for the living expenses for his or her family.

Here is the bottom line.  If you want to sell your home for the most amount of money that it will possibly fetch, you should hire an agent that is going to be active in pursing your best interests, marketing your home to expose it to the maximum number of potential and qualified buyers.  Your best bet to get that accomplished is to hire a full service real estate firm.

I hope that your home selling endeavors are successful,

Happy selling

Ross Harkness, SFR

Realtor®/Builder

Palmetto Property Pros

Wilkinson and Associates Real Estate

803-372-8867

1. Foundation damage or settling issues
2. HVAC repairs or replacement needed
3. Roofing defects or replacement needed
4. Moisture levels high in basement, walls
5. Environmental types of hazards: radon, asbestos, lead paint, underground storage tanks
6. Pest infestation -- termites mostly, but could be ants, crickets, wasps, rodents, etc.
7. Plumbing issues
8. Electrical issues (old and undersized panels and circuit breakers, poor grounding, aluminum wiring)
9. Chimney settling or separation